Front Baby Carriers

I have never heard that before. I had the Bjorn carrier and loved it! They are expensive, so you could try Craigslist and buy a slightly used one. I used my sister's. I used it from newborn (facing inward) until about 4 months or so facing outwards when he could hold his head up.

I have read many times and confirmed it with my pediatrician that until the baby has good control of his head and back that sitting upright like that can cause their soft back bones to rub together in a bad way. I used the sling until 4 months with him cradled now I still use the sling but I stick him in butt first facing forward and he really likes the view.

The Baby Bjorn is awesome...I highly recommend it. Also, if you don't know by now you will find that all pediatricians are very different, and will give you different recommendations and warnings as I am seeing here. My ped said there is no problem with the Bjorn as long as it is used correctly. (Front facing until 23 or so pounds I think?). My son loved it, and would fall asleep in it often. I also liked it because it felt more secure than my sling. Hope this helps!

any of the pre-formed baby carriers (bjorn, snugli, etc) can be very bad for the babies hip development, but in addition to the slings, there are other carriers that are great. a mei tai, ergo, or any of the more freeform, soft carriers, or a moby or maya wrap, anything that keeps baby in a sitting position where his hips are bent, is much more comfy for baby and better for growth. here's a website with tons of options- thebabywearer.com. or, take a trek out to tree city diapers (or check out their website- treecitydiapers.com) in ann arbor where the girls will love to show you how to use all of the baby friendly carriers they have available. the options are endless! have fun!!

You can get tube slings or make them that allow a baby that young to face forward. I made mine and it worked great for laying, sitting and on the hip carry. You can find the instructions or online, or you can buy them online. They go by names like tube sling, hotslings (that's a brand), maya wrap, japanese wrap.

You can use the sling in different ways. I personally find the 'baby carriers' bad for baby's spine/hips, and I find them so bulky and annoying to carry around! The sling just rolls up into the diaper bag and you are all set! You can practice a few different positions with the sling, so she can see better. i like the chest to chest one, and the baby's legs can be crossed at the bottom (froggie/pixie style) and then slide her in facing you. You may need to tuck some material to support her head. You can do the same thing facing outwards too. HTH

My daughters and I love the Bjorn! I would not have survived the first year with my first born without it and now I rely on it to get grocery shopping done with two "babies" in tow. I haven't seen any hip/leg developmental problems with the use of it.

I have used 4 or 5 different carriers with my children (4 children). I kept having people tell me about Baby Bjorn and just to bite the bullet and pay the high price for it. I WISH I had listened to them on my first kid. I had a sling,too, at one point, they hated it, but my last I used a Baby Bjorn and she LOVED it...and it was so comfortable for me. I don't know why it was so much better than others, technically speaking, I only know what worked for me. I was in charge of our local sports program and had to be at the games all the time, so she was in it a lot and her legs/hips are fine. (she's 5 now)

We have tried the baby bijorn - it is awesome for face to face carring but for forward faceing they need to be at least 5 months because of how far the legs spread - they don't get good blood flow otherwise. I just recently purchased "the Ultimate baby wrap." I researched it and it got awesome reviews for kids of all ages. You can easily carry a little one forward facing and it doesn't restrict their leg movement or cut off circulation cause it is just material.
I love mine for my 3 month old - we got it when she was about 7 weeks. There ar 5 different possitions you can hold then in. I can use the same one for my toddler! look it up on line.

We use the baby bjorn. We do like it but it is kinda hard to put the baby in with only two hands. As for how is affects the babies hips. I am not so sure.

Hi S.-

What kind of sling do you have? Do you have a ring sling? That is a sling that has the fabric sewn around the ring. If you do then you can position your baby in the sling facing forward. I had one with my son and daughter and they loved it! Plus the bonus was when we were out if they fell asleep I just repositioned them.

You can go to sites like natobella.com and check out instructional videos and get ideas on ways to use the ring slings. If the natobella site doesn't have a video up yet I know that they will soon.

Good luck!!

Carriers are not bad as long as they are not used in excess. I used one for my son and he loved it. I do have a suggestion as to the type of carrier, though. I tried a sling-type and the baby bjorn - I hated them both. Either I wasn't comfortable or my son wasn't. Then my friend told me about the Moby wrap. I LOVE it! It is the thing I buy for all the baby showers I go to. In essence it is a really long scarf that you can wrap the child to you in 7 different ways.
Good luck to you!